Santa Barbara has a large and growing population of transgender children and young adults and a very small pool of trained healthcare providers. Many parents of transgender children have experienced difficulty accessing primary care in Santa Barbara. The Santa Barbara Transgender Advocacy Network is pleased to announce the second Santa Barbara Trans Youth Care, an in-demand educational symposium for doctors, nurses and therapists who care for transgender youth. Three clinical experts from the LA Gender Center will be presenting a Comprehensive Approach to the Care of Gender Nonconforming Children, Adolescents and Young Adults on November 18 and 19th at UCSB. The conference offers 13 CMEs and CEUs for doctors and psychologists and MFTs and LCSWs.

UCLA physician Jo Olson Kennedy, the country’s most experienced medical provider for transgender youth, will be the special guest speaker at Trans Youth Care. According to Dr Kennedy, “Competent medical and mental healthcare for transgender youth is rare, but much needed. This two day workshop is an opportunity to learn more about the needs of gender non-conforming and transgender youth that lends itself to a wide audience, including medical and mental health providers, educators, community members and parents. Join us for an unforgettable weekend!” Doctor Kennedy and her training partners have developed TransYouth Care to bridge this gap in training for this growing population. Their program is a comprehensive, two day symposium designed for professionals interested in providing sensitive and competent mental health and medical care for gender non-conforming children, transgender youth and young adults.

Charles Fenzi, CEO of Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics is attending for the second time. “Having had the opportunity to listen to an expert in the field of transgender medicine at last year's symposium was an amazing experience for me. I'm looking forward to learning a lot more this year.” Parents of the many transgender and nonconforming children in Santa Barbara are grateful for Neighborhood Clinics’ commitment and looking forward to participation from new providers. According to a local parent of a trans male teenager, “It's important that we have more professionals in our community that truly understand what our children are dealing with on a daily basis in order to help them address their complete selves. Having proficient providers in town would mean the world to our trans children and their families.”